Zeiss twirled on the study chair, a dangerous smile playing on his lips as he perused the contents of the letter. "I wonder how he knew I have the girl. It's not an assumption; he is as hell sure of it." Laughter rose in his throat, escaping as a low, sinister chuckle. It wasn't the kind of laughter that accompanied something amusing; rather, it was the laughter of one who found mirth in the shadows, masking his true intentions. "A traitor?"
His gaze slid up from the parchment to Lincoln, who stood before him, visibly tense. He tilted his head slightly, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "It's you, Lincoln, is it not?"
Lincoln's eyes widened at Zeiss's accusation, and he stammered as he sought the right words. "Relax, I was just teasing you. It can't be you, of course; I trust you too much." A lighter laugh escaped him this time, soothing Lincoln's racing heart back to its normal rhythm. "Perhaps Gianna? Rose? Morrison? Ah... Schultz?" He chuckled as he listed the names of his servants, recalling only those who had left an impression upon him.
"It can't be Gianna," Lincoln managed to say, and Zeiss smiled knowingly.
"She can't, can she?" He paused for effect before continuing, "Whoever it is... we need to get that person out, shouldn't we, Lincoln?" Zeiss's gaze remained fixed on Lincoln. The latter masked his fear perfectly, but Zeiss was no ordinary man. He could see even the deepest of your dirty secrets by merely studying your face and engaging in small talk. He was danger incarnate.
"Yes, Master Zeiss. We need to get the person out real quick." A visible gulp betrayed Lincoln's composure as he met Zeiss's glazing turquoise eyes.
"With that being said, get me coffee, Lincoln." The man departed at once to fulfill the order. "I'd love to see how you'd get away by snitching on me, Lincoln," Zeiss drawled once the man had exited. "It'd be so interesting." He laughed softly and watched as Lincoln re-entered the room promptly after leaving.
Zeiss Ansel, the rebellious last son of King Hudson Ansel. He was no longer in his teenage rebellious phase; rather, he had matured into a figure of intrigue and danger. His father—a vampire more concerned with maintaining his youthful appearance than overseeing his family—had cast a long shadow over Zeiss's life. His mother, who shared striking similarities with the girl reading in the library, had once been revered as a goddess among mortals but had perished during his father's reign.
His father had merely stated, "It was her fate to die. She was the Goddess of Life; she had many good things someone wished for." A dangerous chuckle escaped Zeiss at that thought. Of course it was her fate—one that served his father well. Deep down, Zeiss knew his mother had been murdered by his father; all he needed now was concrete evidence to orchestrate his revenge perfectly. His mind wandered back to silver locks and amethyst eyes—the girl was breathtakingly beautiful even in her youth.
He understood that keeping her close might not be wise; perhaps he should send her far away for her own safety.
But fuck good ideas. Half of his life had been spent indulging in bad ideas.
With a sigh, Zeiss closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee with a sense of resigned pleasure.
★
"OMG! She really did that?!" Eleven exclaimed with her small squeaky voice.
"Mm!" Gianna agreed enthusiastically as they reached the end of the book and closed its leather cover. "She really killed her best friend because she liked the man she did." Gianna shook her head incredulously while observing Eleven's animated reaction to their finished reading.
"OMG! I can't wait to tell Zeiss about this! He would be shocked!"
"Definitely!" Gianna chuckled in agreement. "He would indeed be thrilled." Rising from her seat, Gianna lifted Eleven into her arms as they made their way back toward the shelves.
"How can we return the book, Gianna? Zeiss used magic to bring it down," Eleven blinked up at Gianna with wide eyes.
Gianna pinched her cheeks playfully and laughed heartily. "You like pinching me a lot, Gianna," Eleven grumbled good-naturedly.
"Oh El! You're the cutest person I've ever seen." Gianna sighed wistfully before glancing up at the top shelf where Zeiss had retrieved the book from earlier. "I can't do magic like Master Zeiss," she mused aloud, "but I can do this."
Eleven regarded her with narrowed eyes, curiosity piqued by Gianna's words. Before she could inquire further, Gianna transformed into a large black bat with elegant wings. The bat grasped the book tightly in its claws and soared upward to tuck it safely back onto the shelf before returning to her human form.
Eleven gasped in astonishment; her mouth fell open in disbelief. "Woah!! That was so cool, Gianna!!" She squealed with delight. "Can Zeiss turn into a bat too?!"
Gianna chuckled softly and shook her head. "No, Master Zeiss can't turn into a bat; he's not a vampire." She then took hold of Eleven's tiny hands—or rather allowed her to wrap all her little fingers around one of Gianna's pointy fingers—as they walked toward the door together. "What do you want to do next?"
"Uh... Maybe—oh God!"
Gianna widened her eyes at Eleven's sudden alarm. "What's wrong, El?"
"Nita! We haven't fed Nita!" Eleven gasped dramatically. "Oh God! She must be very hungry now; let's go feed Nita, Gianna!"
Gianna shook her head as her thumping heart calmed down from its earlier fright. "You scared me for a second there, El! I thought something had happened to you." She breathed out slowly while Eleven giggled at her reaction.
"Of course we should feed Nita! Let's go!" And with that declaration ringing in their ears like an echo of adventure yet to come, they left the library in search of food for Nita.